Born in 1976 in bustling Bangalore, Sohail Rekhi spent weekends darting between film sets and family farmland. His mother, legendary actress Waheeda Rehman, often rehearsed her lines in the living room, while father Shashi Rekhi discussed character arcs over breakfast. That mix of creativity and grounded routine pushed young Sohail to ask hard questions about purpose and legacy.
School Years That Sparked a Global Outlook
He first attended Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, where strict uniforms met spirited debate clubs. Later, at Kodaikanal International School, classmates from five continents introduced him to new music, new dishes, and new ways to think. Teachers still recall a lanky teen sketching ornate chairs in the margins of chemistry notes. After graduation, Sohail took his sketch pad to Canada, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Innis College, University of Toronto. Exposure to thrift shops filled with well-worn furniture planted an idea: old wood could be stylish, even luxurious, if treated with respect.
Turning Away from Bollywood’s Spotlight
Many assumed he would follow his parents into cinema. Instead, Sohail chose to build with his hands. Back in Bangalore he haunted demolition sites, buying discarded beams of Indian teak and rosewood. Friends called it a hobby; Sohail called it research. By July 2015 that research became Sadaya Guild, an atelier dedicated to furniture handcrafted entirely from reclaimed timber.
The Sadaya Guild Philosophy
Luxury and sustainability can coexist. This simple statement guides every Sadaya design. Carpenters retain nail scars and weather lines, telling the wood’s backstory rather than sanding it away. Each dining table ships with a small booklet tracing the timber’s journey—perhaps a 1920s Chettinad doorway or a Kerala spice warehouse floorboard. Buyers know their purchase saved old-growth wood from a landfill and kept fresh trees standing.
Craft Meets Commerce
Sadaya’s launch piece, the “Rasa” coffee table, sold out its first run in under two weeks. Interior magazines praised its brass inlay and raw edges. More important to Sohail, customers wrote back months later, saying guests always asked about the table’s past life. Today the studio employs more than forty artisans, yet output remains intentionally limited to maintain quality. Corporate orders get wait-listed; quick profit never overrides craft.
Literary Foray with Angria
Creativity spills beyond sawdust. In quiet evening hours Sohail wrote Angria, a novel about a fictional Konkan port wrestling with colonial trade. An editor spotted early chapters on a writers’ forum and steered them to print. When Jaipur Literature Festival listed Angria among its 2022 highlights, critics applauded its vivid maritime scenes and moral nuance. Sales funded scholarships for rural carpentry apprenticeships—a neat loop from story to social impact.
Personal Life Bridging India and Bhutan
In 2016 Sohail married Dechhen Pelden, a Bhutanese entrepreneur he met at a sustainability summit. Their wedding in Paro combined Buddhist chants with Kannada folk music, symbolizing two cultures in harmony. They have a daughter, Rinchen Rekhi, who already prefers wooden blocks to plastic toys. At home, Dechhen oversees a fair-trade textile cooperative, while Sohail sketches new chair silhouettes at the dining table they built together.
Family Ties That Inspire, Never Dictate
Waheeda Rehman, honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2023, often drops by the Sadaya workshop. She chats with artisans, bringing homemade sweets and stories from classic film shoots that used similar teak props. Sister Kashvi Rekhi works as a script supervisor in Mumbai, proving the clan still loves cinema, even as Sohail carves a different path.
Impact on India’s Design Scene
Sadaya Guild’s rise signals a shift in Indian luxury. Consumers who once equated extravagance with imported marble now celebrate locally reclaimed wood. Competing brands have begun launching “green” lines, though few match Sadaya’s full-circle sourcing. Architects cite the company as proof that eco-friendly can fetch premium prices, nudging an entire industry toward lower waste.
Challenges and Future Goals
Sohail faces hurdles: fluctuating timber supply, complex export rules for antique wood, and the temptation to scale too fast. His answer is patience. Plans for 2026 include a small gallery in Toronto—returning to the city that first inspired him—and a mentorship program for design students in Bengaluru. A second novel, tentatively titled The Driftwood City, explores an island community fighting reckless development, echoing themes he lives daily.
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- Honor origin stories
Reclaimed wood sells not just for look but for history. Offer customers a narrative and they become caretakers, not just buyers. - Limit can be a luxury
Scarcity maintains value. Resist the urge to flood the market; let demand breathe. - Blend profit with purpose
Scholarships, apprenticeships, and waste-reduction goals are not side projects—they strengthen brand equity. - Stay curious across disciplines
Writing fiction sharpened Sohail’s sense of storytelling, which now shapes marketing and product design.
A Quiet Revolution Continues
As of March 2025, Sohail Rekhi stands at the intersection of art, sustainability, and commerce. Sadaya Guild pieces furnish boutique hotels from Goa to Kyoto, while Angria circulates in three languages. Yet he still spends dawn hours choosing the right varnish, treating each board as a future heirloom. In doing so, he proves legacy isn’t only inherited from famous parents; it is carved, planed, and polished through daily intention.